Which would you buy?

EoinHef

So im looking at getting a bike on the bike to work scheme. Havent had one in years so no odea what to be looling for.

In the local bike shop and halfords two bikes caught my eye,both in budget and hybrids,which is what i want. Giant is €50 dearer but im ok with that if its the better bike.

So its the Giant Rapid 3 vs Boardman Hybrid Team.

Which would you get?

TL;DR
Giant Rapid 3 Vs Boardman Hybrid Team,which would you buy?

thekooman

EoinHef wrote: »

So im looking at getting a bike on the bike to work scheme. Havent had one in years so no odea what to be looling for.

In the local bike shop and halfords two bikes caught my eye,both in budget and hybrids,which is what i want. Giant is €50 dearer but im ok with that if its the better bike.

So its the Giant Rapid 3 vs Boardman Hybrid Team.

Which would you get?

TL;DR
Giant Rapid 3 Vs Boardman Hybrid Team,which would you buy?

Giant for me. what you doing with it? commuting / general out and about, etc? budget?

EoinHef

General out and about,social cycles with friends and a bit for fitness after work during the week. No looking to do anything hugely demanding.

Getting it on the bike to work scheme but id also be able to put a an extra €100 or so of my own money if needed

not yet

You will go far and wide to beat the Rapid, try put the extra and go up to the Rapid 1..

Better build, after care and resale value then the Boardman.

EoinHef

Cheers,the Giant is in a locally run bike shop and the boardman is halfords so id expect to getter better after sale care off the local shop too so good news that Giant seems to be the way to go

EoinHef

So just looked at pricing,the Rapid 1 may be just out of my range as ive to get a few extras also but i could squeeze the Rapid 2 into budget with €150 of my own money on top of the bike to work,is it worth it over the Rapid 3?

CramCycle

Depends what you are going to do with it, there isn't much between any of them if your going to use it just as described.

If you think that you may enjoy cycling and go further over time, you will probably be upgrading soon enough.

In either case, I would go for the Rapid 3. Not as fancy as the 1 but if you resell it, the loss will not be as steep and it should hold better value than the Halfords one (which has nothing wrong with it).

Always nice to buy from a LBS though, better aftersales and help if they are a good shop.

EoinHef

The guys in the local shop were way more informative,they are part of a local cycle club too i think which may be of use down the road.

At this point im not really sure how far into cycling ill get,this is my first bike in a long time so a decent/reliable bike to start with would be what im looking for.

run_Forrest_run

those Giant Rapid models look excellent, in my opinion it's good to see them without suspension too, often a waste on a hybrid and only adds weight.

not yet

Try go for the Rapid 1..

Spending that type of money you LBS will/should either give you 5-8% off or throw in a lock and lights etc..

Takca

EoinHef wrote: »

The guys in the local shop were way more informative,they are part of a local cycle club too i think which may be of use down the road.

If your thinking you might consider joining a club in future you may want to consider a road bike instead of hybrid. Just worth thinking about.

T-Maxx

Another option worth considering IMO is to save your B2W for when/if you decide to commit and have a better idea of what you're looking for in a bike. You can get quite decent used bikes for a few hundred that'll get you going nicely.

tuxy

Takca wrote: »

If your thinking you might consider joining a club in future you may want to consider a road bike instead of hybrid. Just worth thinking about.

I also think this is worth considering. Some people find drop bars intimidating but actually most time is spent up on the hoods not in the drops. Most clubs require drop bars as it makes it safer to ride in groups as flat bars are more likely to clash.

I got my first road bike a few years ago after not cycling since I was a child.
I started off doing 10km cycles which it was great for but I now race and it's also perfect for that.

Canis Lupus

Drop bars suggestion from me as well. Could never go back to flats for commuting.

EoinHef

I went with the Rapid 3,in the end i wasnt sure the Rapid 2 was worth the extra and the Rapid 1 was just out of my price range currently. Hopefully not a decision ill regret.

Should have the bike friday with a bit of luck.